


Pre-battle Jitters

by Ayngelcat



Series: Constructifics [1]
Category: Transformers Generation One
Genre: 1986 movie, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-17
Updated: 2013-02-17
Packaged: 2017-11-29 14:21:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/687965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ayngelcat/pseuds/Ayngelcat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for tf_speedwriting prompt 16 Feb 2013: "An unwilling hero."</p><p>The Constructicons performed awesomely in the 1986 Transformers movie, and particularly Scavenger who took out Prowl with a single shot. But before they left for the Autobot shuttle, not all the Constructicons were confident about surviving the task ahead .....</p><p>*Warning* for potential drug use; and those upset by the canon deaths in the G1 movie may feel it best to avoid this fic along with any other reminders of that fateful day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pre-battle Jitters

“No you don’t!”  A large green hand with slender fingers reached out and grabbed Scavenger by the arm.  
  
“Lemme go!”  
  
“No!”  
  
The excavator struggled, aiming kicks at his assailant and thrashing out with his tail and doing his best to knock him off his feet, do some damage, hopefully break a leg.  
  
But Hook was too used to Scavenger's antics. A large foot landed on his shovel, pinning his tail down, whilst both his wrists were grabbed, his arms twisted behind his back.  
  
Then Hook’s mouth was right next to his audio. “Stop this, Scavenger!”  
  
But Scavenger wasn’t stopping. “The hell with you! I’m not going!” he yelled. “I’m a digger – not a warrior. This is the pit.”  
  
“Scavenger – just listen ….”  
  
Although he was not as strong as Hook, Scavenger knew that the crane was having to work hard to restrain him.  “No! I ain’t gonna listen to you. We’re just canon fodder – if you can’t see that you’re an even bigger idiot than I thought....”  
  
He tried to wrench free, only to find his head  slammed against the wall, his face flat against the smooth dark surface,  whilst the grip tightened on his wrists, making him cry out. “Listen you stupid fool....” Hook began again.  
  
“What’s going on here?”  
  
Scrapper had joined them. Slowly, Hook relaxed his grip and Scavenger sprang free, rubbing his wrists and glowering at Hook. His tail twitched angrily. “He’s a maniac!” he yelled, indicating to his team mate. “This is gonna get us killed.”  
  
“He won’t even listen to what I have to say!” Hook snarled, throwing his hands in the air, angry and exasperated.  
  
“LISTEN YOU TWO!” Scrapper had that tone to his voice and that _look_ about him which you just did not disobey. Hook and Scavenger gave each other a final glare, intakes planting. But they knew better than to not pay attention.

“Look – we don’t have much time …” Scrapper looked from one to the other, venting heavily. “So I’m only gonna say this once.”

He took a deep intake. “Firstly, Megatron has asked for US because we’re GOOD. Got it? You two, especially, are both accurate sharpshooters and good at hitting targets. He thinks that’s gonna be very useful. You get that?”

“But…” Scavenger started. “Let him speak!” Hook snapped.

“Secondly, we’re  hardly gonna be there on our own. Megatron is gonna _be there himself._ And Starscream, _and_ his trine, AND Soundwave.  We are BACKUP. We won’t even BE in the main line of fire.”

“But what if …” Scavenger began.

“SHUT UP!” said Scrapper and Hook together.

“Thirdly, you, Scavenger, are hardly gonna take centre stage for the Constructicons while we’ve got Bonecrusher back there, spoiling for a fight. And fourthly …” Scrapper went on quickly, “once the shuttle’s operators are taken out there will be no danger whatsoever …”

“I tried to tell him all that!” Hook broke in.

“No you didn’t!” Scavenger yelled.

“Yes, Scavenger.  I DID!”

“Well what happens after this then? You just tell me that ...”

“I was COMING to that!” Scrapper roared, furious with both of them. Undoubtedly Hook hadn’t explained things properly, and Scavenger always overreacted because it was Hook. Scrapper put ‘intra-team relations – Hook and Scavenger – top priority’ on his list of things to do when this was over.

“Whilst on the shuttle, we shall also be synchronising our systems and preparing for the ground attack on Autobot city, in which DEVASTATOR is to play an important role,” Scrapper explained. And then he laid a hand on the excavator’s arm. "But we can’t do it without you, Scavenger, because you are a very valuable team member, OK?”

As Scrapper had predicted, that brought about a change in Scavenger. Well of course it did, because as usual this was as much to do about the excavator's self worth – that infernal thing that had dogged their operations from the word go - as anything else. 

Scavenger’s mouth opened to speak. He looked at Scrapper and Hook. And then, his faceplates crumpled. “I’m scared,” he whispered, “That’s not true, Scrapper. I can’t do this.”

Hook changed also. His face softened, and he let out a sigh. Uttering a _tch,_ he put his arm around Scavenger. “It’s all right,” he said. “We’ll all be there. And yes you can. Of COURSE you can do it, Scav.”

“Yes,” Scrapper agreed. “Especially since Mixmaster has made some of this for us …” he produced three bottles full of brightly coloured pink liquid and placed them on the console. “It will accentuate our reflexes, and make us less inhibited and more inclined to kill.”

 _And make it less painful if we do die,_ thought Hook privately, though he wasn’t saying that in front of Scavenger. No – no way. In fact, he must not think like that. At all. It wouldn’t even occur to him - or any of them - once they’d consumed the potion.

Instead, he stroked the excavator’s face. “Scavenger we must do this,” he said. “It’s our big chance to prove ourselves and really secure a foothold in the new administration. Megatron is really going to do it this time – this is the start of a new era.”

“Yes,” Scrapper agreed. “This will be a great day in Decepticon history, and you will be a hero, Scavenger. We will all be heros. Primus knows, somebody might even make a movie about us one day.”

Hook thought this most unlikely, but he refrained from saying so.  Instead, he simply took the top off the bottles and handed one to Scrapper, and one to Scavenger. “To victory!” he said, raising his. “And survival of the fittest.”

Scavenger still wasn’t convinced. But he felt surprisingly reassured, tucked under Hook's arm. He took the bottle anyway, and gave his team-mates a nervous smile.

“To Constructicons!” he said bravely.


End file.
